| Clipped from: BBC NEWS | Technology | Robot fish could prevent crashes |
Robot fish could prevent crashes
Robots that mimic the behaviour of fish have been developed by Japanese car firm Nissan, who believe the technique can be used in crash avoidance systems.
The tiny robots, called Eporo, can move in a fleet without bumping into their travelling companions.
It is the second time the firm has looked to the animal kingdom for inspiration for its designs.
Last year, the manufacturer unveiled its BR23C robot, which was modelled on the behaviour of bumblebees.
| Clipped from: Nissan looks to the Bumblebees for tips on crash avoidance — Autoblog |
Nissan looks to the Bumblebees for tips on crash avoidance
Volvo has its locusts, Nissan has its bees. With 300-degree vision via compound eyes and instantaneous reflexes, bees don't run into things the way cars do. Nissan wants to halve the rate of car crashes by 2015, versus the company's 1995 tally, and is using bees to come up with a new generation of crash-avoidance systems that will be able to respond to obstacles in ways superior to humans.
| Clipped from: YouTube - 2008 Nissan to Demonstrate Crash Avoidance Robot |
2008 Nissan to Demonstrate Crash Avoidance Robot
| Clipped from: NISSAN | Crash Avoidance Robotic Car Inspired by Flight of the Bumblebee |
September 26, 2008
Crash Avoidance Robotic Car Inspired by
Flight of the Bumblebee
-- Nissan Exhibits for CEATEC Japan 2008* --
In flight, each bee creates its own oval-shaped personal space which in fact closely resembles Nissan's Safety Shield concept.
But more crucially, it is the bee's compound eyes, capable of seeing more than 300-degrees that allows the bumblebee to fly uninterrupted inside its personal space. In order to recreate the function of a compound eye, engineers came up with the idea of a Laser Range Finder (LRF).
The LRF detects obstacles up to two meters away within a 180-degree radius in front of the BR23C, calculates the distance to them, and sends a signal to an on-board microprocessor, which is instantly translated into collision avoidance.
| Clipped from: Nissan robot car concept avoids accidents by mimicking fishes — Autoblog Green |
Nissan robot car concept avoids accidents by mimicking fishes
Using two laser range finders mounted so that it has a 288-degree field of vision, Nissan's new Eporo robot cars can travel along at speeds of 1.4 km/h (less than one mile per hour), constantly changing direction as needed to maintain a safe distance from one another. The Japanese automaker suggests that such "Safety Shield" technology could eventually be applied to cars and trucks to help prevent accidents and traffic jams.
Gallery: Nissan Eporo robot cars
| Clipped from: NISSAN | Nissan EPORO Robot Car "Goes to School" on Collision-free Driving by Mimicking Fish Behavior |
October 1, 2009
Nissan EPORO Robot Car "Goes to School" on
Collision-free Driving by Mimicking Fish Behavior
- Advanced Robotic Concept Debuts at CEATEC JAPAN 2009 -
EPORO Robot Car
So what do a bumblebee and a school of fish have in common? Bothdemonstrate extraordinary "anti-collision" abilities, navigating instinctively and intelligently through challenging terrain by detecting and avoiding obstacles - just as future Nissan safety vehicles may have the capability to do. But where bees - and the BR23C robot car - are likely to travel alone, the schooling behavior of fish, or a group of vehicles, presents a far greater challenge in terms of collision avoidance. In developing EPORO, three rules of fish behavior were applied to its driving control.
Fish Behavior Rules
AREA 1: Collision Avoidance
Change traveling direction without colliding with other fish.
AREA 2: Traveling Side-by-Side
Travel side-by-side with other fish while keeping a certain distance between each fish (to match the speed).
AREA 3: Approaching
Gain closer proximity to other fish that are at a distance from them.
- BBC NEWS | Technology | Robot fish could prevent crashes
- Nissan robot car concept avoids accidents by mimicking fishes — Autoblog Green
- NISSAN | Nissan EPORO Robot Car "Goes to School" on Collision-free Driving by Mimicking Fish Behavior
- Nissan looks to the Bumblebees for tips on crash avoidance — Autoblog
- YouTube - 2008 Nissan to Demonstrate Crash Avoidance Robot
- NISSAN | Crash Avoidance Robotic Car Inspired by Flight of the Bumblebee
- Nissan Mimics School of Fish to Eliminate Collisions - Auto - FOXNews.com
- The car that thinks like a fish
- Eporo: Nissan develops robots that can rove in packs
- Nissan unveils mobile robot that can dodge like a bee
- Nissan's crash-avoiding robot 'car' gets upgrade, fresh new outlook on life
- Nissan shows off bumblebee-inspired, crash-avoiding robot "car"
